We wanted to share the following story of one of our patients, Carol McFarland of Benton, who we helped celebrate a special moment in her life - her wedding day! Thank you to our exceptional hospital colleagues, Dr. Bonutti and his wonderful staff, and all those who helped making her day even more special! Many people have reasons that they want to get out of the hospital quickly after their surgery, but Carol McFarland of Benton, Illinois had a pretty good one – she was getting married that day! Carol required knee surgery and because of insurance issues, she needed to have surgery before the end of the year. When she met with Dr. Peter Bonutti to schedule her total knee replacement of her right knee and manipulation of her left knee, her surgery was scheduled for December 2, 2013 at St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital so that it could be done before the end of the year as she required. However, she was getting married in her home on December 4, two days after her surgery, and wanted to be able to stand next to her husband during the ceremony. She believed that she was going to be able to do it for a number of reasons. First, she had faith in her orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Bonutti. “I decided to go to Dr. Bonutti because I had heard nothing but good things about Dr. Bonutti. Everyone I talked to had positive things to say about him – I had been told by people that if you need anything done with your knees, you should have it done by Dr. Bonutti,” she said.” And everything matched up when I met him and he did my surgery. He is wonderful. He is not all business – he is concerned about your comfort and your care. He truly cares about the person he is treating,” she said. “He is honest as well – He told me what to expect upfront. Whatever he said, it happened that way.” She also knew that she was going to be able to walk on her wedding day because as she says, “I’m pretty stubborn! Working with St. Anthony’s staff, what they told me I needed to do in order to recover in time, I did it. I knew I needed to follow all their instructions if I wanted to be walking two days after surgery.” Carol had filled the hospital staff in on her wedding plans so they encouraged her in order to help her recover. She shared, “When I was coming back from physical therapy one day, one of the staff started humming ‘The Wedding March!”, she laughingly shared. “Along with Dr. Bonutti, I really can’t praise St. Anthony’s or its staff enough. I loved everyone there. They were all wonderful to me, and not just the nursing staff. Everyone from those who register you to those who give you baths, to the housekeepers, to the nurses,” she said. ““They were all fantastic to me.” She was also pleased with the look and cleanliness of the hospital. “It really is a beautiful hospital – so clean and beautifully laid out. Being a former housekeeping supervisor, I am kind of picky and look for areas that they usually miss,” she shared. “I told the housekeeper I had that they all do a fabulous job, even on the vents which are hard to get! My stay really was wonderful all-around.” One of the things that Dr. Bonutti and his staff did that touched Carol was to bring her flowers and a bottle of Champagne on the day she was being discharged. “That was so sweet – just another reminder of the kind of doctor he is,” she said. She and her husband John are now enjoying married life (shown in the photo on their wedding day with the minister who performed their ceremony, Kenneth Petty, center in the photo) and as she reflects back, she is so grateful for Dr. Bonutti and the St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital staff. “I have had other hospital stays and I would come back to St. Anthony’s in an instant, no matter how far I had to drive,” she said. “I know what kind of care I would get – exceptional.”
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 20:00:00 +0000